Apple 'arrogance' slammed by Sony

SCE Australia boss admits, and denies, that Sony once took a cavalier approach to business

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Mobile devices company Apple has been described as ‘arrogant’ by a Sony executive.

SCE Australia managing director Michael Ephraim said Apple’s alleged hubris is the subject of numerous news reports, but the game boss denied that Sony itself ever deserved to be labelled as egotistical.

“I don't think we are arrogant anymore,” he said.

“I think we can name a company that is a fruit that is in he news a lot about their arrogance,” he added, in a translucent reference to Apple.

The iPhone company has in recent months struggled to generate positive PR out from its own successes and popular products.

To the furore of many Flash developers, Apple still refuses to allow the development platform to operate on the iPhone, citing compatibility issues and battery-drain worries.

Many commentators have described the decision as an act of flagrant egotism, citing Apple’s past business conflicts with Flash provider Adobe.

In an interview with the Brisbane Times, Ephraim said Apple has “taken the mantle from us” in regards to being seen as the most arrogant game company.

Apple has also faced accusations of arrogance after a string of interesting business decisions. The group recently announced it was going to establish its own iPhone Game Centre – a service that could theoretically make third-party offerings, such as OpenFeint, redundant.

The iPad firm is also competing directing with Amazon’s successful eReader business by establishing its own iBooks store.

Sony itself has learnt first-hand how dangerous it is for a company’s public relations to be described as arrogant.

The platform holder once said the PSP was “the Walkman for the 21st century”, before claiming that the next generation doesn’t start “until we say it does”. Slow, and borderline-disastrous, initial sales of the PS3 came with accusations that Sony had not modernised its PlayStation empire with humble, consumer-facing intentions.

Ephraim initially seemed to admit Sony had appeared as arrogant, though he proceeded to backtrack from his initial comment.

He said he didn’t think Sony had ever led its business in a cavalier fashion.